DMITRI IVANOVICH MENDELEYEV (1834 - 1907)
Russian Chemist

Mendeleyev discovered the periodic classification of elements. Within the flow of discovery, where each new concept builds to a new level of thought, modern physics couldn’t have come into being without Mendeleyev’s work.

Born in St. Petersburg, Russia, Mendeleyev wanted to study chemistry, but found no textbooks. So he wrote one! It was the classical Principles of Chemistry, published in 1870.

He wrote two versions of the periodic tables, the second being an improvement on the first. While writing the second, he left gaps for elements he said would be filled “on later discovery.” Within twenty years, those gaps were filled.

The importance of Mendeleyev’s work can’t be underestimated. The periodic table is the foundation of chemistry and a vital aspect of atomic research.